Nokia 9 PureView Smartphone Propels In-Display Trend

The in-display fingerprint sensor trend continues to spread in the mobile market, with the latest Nokia smartphone from HMD Global featuring the technology. The same goes for the facial recognition trend launched by Apple and its Face ID system, with the Nokia 9 PureView sporting both modalities for user authentication.

To be clear, in promoting the new device, HMD Global is focusing primarily on its five-camera imaging system developed in collaboration with ZEISS Optics. The system can capture at least 60MP of imaging data. Each of the five cameras has a 12MP lens with an f/1.8 aperture; three of them are monochromatic, and two are RGB. Together, they can deliver extremely crisp, realistic images, as well as depth data allowing users to refocus photos after taking them.

That’s just as well, since the phone’s in-display fingerprint scanner doesn’t seem to be as capable as those of its competitors. A Digital Trends review of the device – a positive one, thanks to its camera system – decried its “finicky” in-display sensor, which requires hard presses from the user and is “hit or miss” in terms of recognition. Fortunately, the Nokia 9 PureView’s Face Unlock feature, powered by Sensory’s TrulySecure system, appears to be much more effective, with the reviewer noting that he tended to opt for this and pattern unlocking to access the phone.

In any case, the fact that the Nokia device’s developers felt compelled to include these features at all, even when their main focus would go to the phone’s imaging capabilities, points to the importance of biometrics on today’s smartphones, and to the growing prominence of facial recognition and in-display fingerprint sensors in particular, with other recent, high-profile devices like the Samsung Galaxy S10 also featuring both modalities.

The Nokia 9 PureView went on sale this week through Best Buy, Amazon, and B&H, and is temporarily available at a reduced price of $599.